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The world premiere of Øystein Sevågs “European Memories” – Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, dedicated to Bassoonist Per Hannevold. With Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ed Gardner on January 21. 2021 in Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway.

Øystein Sevåg about his Bassoon Concerto European Memories:
“The work is a declaration of love to Europe’s turbulent history and the fruit it has borne. At a time when Europe is being torn apart both internally and externally it is easy to forget how hard won culture is. The continent’s centuries of fighting for justice, travail, greed, inconceivable wars, hard work, diligence, devotion, vision, brave people and clear thinking led us to humanism and a delicate democracy. Along the way science and shining art arose. One learned to use disagreement and differences to foster development and create new ideas. People tilled the earth and ate. They danced. They built fantastic cathedrals for the soul and universities for the mind.

“The work is a declaration of love to Europe’s turbulent history and the fruit it has borne. At a time when Europe is being torn apart both internally and externally it is easy to forget how hard won culture is. The continent’s centuries of fighting for justice, travail, greed, inconceivable wars, hard work, diligence, devotion, vision, brave people and clear thinking led us to humanism and a delicate democracy. Along the way science and shining art arose. One learned to use disagreement and differences to foster development and create new ideas. People tilled the earth and ate. They danced. They built fantastic cathedrals for the soul and universities for the mind.

The basic ideas behind the piece took shape in an associative state where impulses from our European cultural heritage were allowed to flow quite freely through my pen. A structuring of the elements then followed. It has been an interesting journey where I have become better acquainted with myself as a composer. Discussions with Per Hannevold during the process have provided very good input and taught me more about the bassoon’s rich register of expression.

Two premises have laid the foundation for the work. One was to create a musical story by the simplest possible means, in any case not more complicated than necessary. The other was to test whether or not originality must necessarily lie in creating a new musical alphabet but may simply be found in that which is expressed. If this is true the use of a known musical language does not have to stand in the way of a new and unknown musical experience.”

The work’s four movements
1 “Sparks” (created by contradictions.)
2 “Soil” (The earth, the basis for everything that lives and grows.)
3 “Footprints” (Reminiscent of dance.)
4 “Arches” (Connecting bridges through time.)